# US 9,895,911 B2 · Image forming apparatus

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- Number: US 9,895,911 B2
- Document ID: US9895911B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/355,086
- Filed: 2016-11-18
- Published: 2017-03-09
- Granted: 2018-02-20
- Earliest claimed: 2010-04-19
- Assignees: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
- Applicants: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
- Inventors: Kiyoshi Inoue
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9895911B2

## CPC

- B41J 13/0009: {control of the transport of the copy material}
- G03G 15/36: Editing, i.e. producing a composite image by copying one or more original images or parts thereof
- G03G 15/50: {Machine control of apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern, e.g. regulating differents parts of the machine, multimode copiers, microprocessor control (sequencing control G03G21/14)}
- G03G 15/502: {relating to the structure of the control menu, e.g. pop-up menus, help screens}
- G06F 3/1218: {Reducing or saving of used resources, e.g. avoiding waste of consumables or improving usage of hardware resources}
- G06F 3/1219: {with regard to consumables, e.g. ink, toner, paper}
- H04N 1/00002: {Diagnosis, testing or measuring; Detecting, analysing or monitoring not otherwise provided for (error detection, error correction or monitoring in digital computers or digital computer components G06F11/00)}
- H04N 1/00015: {Reproducing apparatus}
- H04N 1/00031: {Testing, i.e. determining the result of a trial (H04N1/00029 takes precedence; using test signals for transmission mode changing H04N2201/33371)}
- H04N 1/00053: {out of service, i.e. outside of normal operation}
- H04N 1/00063: {using at least a part of the apparatus itself, e.g. self-testing}
- H04N 1/3873: {defined only by a limited number of coordinate points or parameters, e.g. corners, centre; for trimming}
- G03G 2215/00569: Calibration, test runs, test prints
- G03G 2215/00582: Plural adjacent images on one side
- H04N 2201/0094: Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception
- B41J: TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- G03G: ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION

## Abstract

When trial printing is executed in a repeat printing mode, trial printing is performed in size of an image of one piece in a layout in which a plurality of images are supposed to be printed in the repeat printing mode normally. A user who has checked a finished state of the trial printing sets, when the finished state is in a desired state, the recording paper on which the trial printing is performed to the paper feed portion again and executes the repeat printing. Thereby, in a blank space excluding a print image which is printed with a first time trial printing, a scheduled quantity of a plurality of images are repeatedly printed.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An image forming apparatus, comprising:
an image forming portion which forms an image of image data on recording paper;
a paper feed portion which feeds the recording paper to the image forming portion;
a carrying-out portion which makes the image forming portion carry out a first printing function which forms images by repeatedly arranging the image data on one sheet of recording paper, and a second printing function which, when forming a plurality of images for the image data, forms one image for the image data, and subsequently, forms the image again in response to input of an image formation instruction;
an image changing portion which changes at least one of a size and a color of image data that is output from one of an image reading portion and a data input portion; and
a layout processing portion which sets, according to a paper size which is set by a user, a layout of the image data having been changed by the image changing portion, wherein
the image forming portion enables execution of the second printing function in a mode of executing the first printing function, and in forming the image by the second printing function, forms one image on a part of recording paper for the image data to be printed by means of repeat printing, and in response to input of an instruction of printing by the first printing function, feeds the recording paper on which the image is formed by the second printing function again by the paper feed portion and forms the image according to a layout set by the layout processing portion in a blank space on the fed recording paper.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The image forming apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the image forming portion enables repetitive execution of forming the image more than once by the second printing function, and when forming the image by the second printing function, forms a next image by the second printing function at a position of a blank on the recording paper excluding a position of an image formed by the second printing function in the past.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The image forming apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein the image forming portion forms the image according to the layout set by the layout processing portion by the first printing function at the position of the blank on the recording paper excluding a position of the image formed by the second printing function, when forming the image according to a layout set by the layout processing portion by the first printing function after forming the image is repeated more than once by the second printing function.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The image forming apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein the image forming portion attaches, to another image excluding the image to which a print condition used for forming images by the first printing function is set among the plurality of images formed by the second printing function, an indication for clearly showing that the image is not used for the repeat printing, when forming the image according to the layout set by the layout processing portion by the first printing function after forming the image is repeated more than once by the second printing function.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

The image forming apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein the image changing portion stores print conditions of the plurality of images formed by the second printing function performed more than once, and the image forming portion forms an image which is selected by the user among the plurality of images, according to the layout set by the layout processing portion by the first printing function with use of the print condition stored in the image changing portion.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The image forming apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the image forming portion attaches, to a predetermined position of the recording paper, an indication showing a setting direction of the recording paper to the paper feed portion again, when forming the image by the second printing function.